Chapter 503

Chapter 503:

“If you actually understood engineering, you would know that the core design of the Phantom-X is built on non-linear turbulence control. It is the backbone of the entire project p>

Belle froze. The rage drained momentarily into blank confusion. She had never heard the term.

“What? What are you talking about p>

Isolde stepped closer, her voice precise and unhurried.

“If you had checked line thirty-four of the core code, you would find a special calibration I added the night before the demonstration — a real-time adjustment for Aspen’s high-altitude air pressure. That data can only come from on-site testing.” She held Belle’s stare. “If I had simply bought this project, how could it contain a last-minute adjustment I made myself the night before p>

Belle stood speechless, her face cycling from pale to red. She was a managerial figure, skilled in capital and strategy, but the technical specifics were entirely beyond her. She had no ground left to stand on.

Panicked, she struck back with the only thing she had left.

“You — you’re just making up nonsense to confuse me p>

Isolde smiled faintly — a quiet, measured smile that marked the precise distance between them.

𝘔𝗼st 𝗋𝖾𝖺d 𝗍𝗁i𝘴 𝘄e𝘦𝘬 𝗼n

“And there it is,” she said. “That is the difference between us. You chase connections and schemes. I chase variables and technical truth p>

Further down the hallway, half hidden in shadow, Grayson stood perfectly still, listening to every word.

The realization crashed over him all at once. Memory after memory rose from the past five years — countless evenings when Isolde had come to him with technical blueprints and code proposals, eager to discuss the company’s projects, and he had brushed her off with impatience, cut her off with condescension, convinced she understood nothing about engineering. He had dismissed her as irrational. As irrelevant.

Only now did he understand: the one who had understood nothing, the one who had closed himself off, had never been Isolde. It had always been him. He had ignored her light, missed her growth, and driven her away with his own hands.

Isolde had no desire to argue further. She stepped sideways to pass Belle, her tone flat and faintly dismissive.

“Move. Your perfume is still unbearable p>

Belle snapped. Humiliated and cornered, she lunged forward with her nails outstretched, reaching for Isolde’s hair.

Harper moved instantly. She stepped in front of Isolde and spread her arms wide, putting her body between them.

“Hey! You lost, and now you want to fight? Is that what sore losers do?” Harper shouted. “Security! Security p>

Nearby guards rushed over and moved between the two women, restraining Belle before she could reach Isolde. Belle thrashed against them, her voice hoarse and frantic.

“I don’t believe it! I won’t accept this! I want to see Dr. Merrick! I’ll check the lead architect’s identity! I’ll expose her lies p>

Isolde paused. She turned slowly, a quiet, knowing smile touching her lips.

“You want to meet the lead architect?” she said. “Go ahead p>